


Fairy Tales...

by FPwoper



Series: NaNoWriMo challenge 2016 [11]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M, Fairy Godparents, John Winchester is mentioned in passing, M/M, Slow Burn, blind dates, elements of magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-18
Updated: 2016-11-27
Packaged: 2018-08-31 18:57:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 21,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8589919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FPwoper/pseuds/FPwoper
Summary: Dean Winchester has the life everyone wants, but isn't happy with it. He runs away but doesn't get very far before reality hits him. Then he suddenly finds out that he has a fairy godfather. Will they be able to find Dean's happily ever after?





	1. ... are bullshit

**Author's Note:**

  * For [chibi_luna_chan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chibi_luna_chan/gifts).



> So this is based on a prompt by [chibi_luna_chan](http://archiveofourown.org/users/chibi_luna_chan/pseuds/chibi_luna_chan). I won't put the prompt in here because it is spoilery, but will post it once this thing is done.  
> It's going to be a multi-chapter thing, and so far I've got four chapters all planned out, but I'm not sure how many chapters there'll actually be. Bear with me. I'll do daily updates as much as possible.

**Fairy Tales…**

_… are bullshit_ \- Chapter one

Dean had never believed in fairy tales. At eighteen, he lived in a palace, was a prince, but his life was far from perfect. It was weird how people tried to insist that his life was so great. Being a prince definitely didn’t equal having a great life. Dean was born under an unlucky star – his dad had run away after Dean’s birth, and had only returned to impregnate his mom once more. When his little brother Sam was born ten years later, his dad – John – had only returned to see the boy once, and had then turned around with his tail between his legs. He was now presumably living with his new girlfriend slash wife (who knew) and his ‘baby boy’ (of eight) called Adam. Adam was slightly older than Sam.

Mary found out about Adam and Kate by accident, and John was lucky that he had been able to escape at all. Mary was a force of nature, _and_ she was the ruler of the kingdom. When John had married into the Campbell family, it had been a miracle that Mary had even wanted to take on the Winchester family name.

Aside from the family troubles in his actual family, there was also the matter of him having to get married soon. Dean knew that that time was coming, and he was desperate to avoid it at all costs. He didn’t want to get married yet, didn’t want to go down the same path as his parents had. He wanted a loving marriage that would be fulfilling for both parties. He didn’t want to have to break up over stupid things, or either of the partners cheating on the other. Mary understood, sort of, but Sam didn’t get it. Sam was young and romantic and was already talking about marriage like it was his sole purpose in life.

Dean wasn’t yet sure if not getting married would be such a big deal. According to the statures of their kingdom, Dean needed to be married in order to be able to be crowned king one day and start ruling the kingdom. That in itself was understandable: their kingdom was vast and even Mary, who was the best ruler they had had in the last millennium, had trouble doing it all on her own. Mary kept trying to push Dean into marriage, but to be honest, Dean didn’t want to rule the kingdom. He wasn’t cut out for it. If he envisioned his own happily ever after, he saw a quiet house, his horse, a partner of whichever gender, and, most of all, peace. He didn’t _care_ for ruling such a large kingdom, and he had told Mary so repeatedly.

So when Sam got married to Jess, around ten years later, Mary was elated. At twenty-eight, Dean was still a bachelor, and he had long forfeited his claim to the throne. He had expressly told Mary that he didn’t want to rule, and had had to do a public speech to consolidate it. Dean was glad that he had done it. Sam was much better at the whole ruling thing, and Sam and Jess deserved to rule the kingdom.

A few days after Sam and Jess officially tied the knot, Mary fell ill, and Dean immediately took it upon himself to care for her. Sam and Jess took over the throne to keep the kingdom running, but Dean felt useless when he wasn’t caring for someone, at least. After all, it was only natural to care for his mother the way she never could for him. It was not enough, though, and Mary died later that year.

After the customary mourning period of two months, Sam and Jess went through the coronation ceremony and were officially king and queen. Dean felt useless after that. Sam didn’t need caring for anymore, Jess was perfectly fine with doing that now, as it was her duty to care for her husband. Mary was dead. John had left. There was nothing keeping him in the palace anymore, and as days went past and Dean couldn’t find anything to do, he started to feel less and less welcome.

The palace had been his home for a long thirty years, but now that there wasn’t anything or anyone demanding attention or care, Dean felt utterly useless, and, most of all, alone. Whenever he looked at the happy unit that was his brother and his sister in law, he felt as if someone was stabbing him in his heart, and he had to look away. Dean knew what it was – he wanted to be happy, too, even started thinking of getting married just to have someone fill that gaping hole in his chest. He didn’t act on it, though, still holding on strong to the belief that he actually wanted to get to know someone and fall in love with them before getting hitched.

So, after Dean went through a particularly horrible day – incidentally the two year anniversary of Mary’s death – he decided that he was done living in a palace, and packed up his clothing and a few books. He didn’t know where he was going, but he just had to leave the palace. He couldn’t deal with it anymore.

He saddled Impala, his horse, and fastened her saddlebags, making sure not to overload her as she had to travel to wherever Dean was going. He was definitely not switching her out for a different horse in an inn. He pulled his travel cloak tighter around himself and led Impala out of the stables before mounting her and leading her away. He’d left a note for Sam and Jess, of course, telling them that he would contact them once he was settled somewhere. They would not be happy, but they’d just have to deal with it, Dean supposed.

Dean took a deep breath once he was finally emerged from the walls surrounding the palace’s gardens. That was the only thing he’d miss: the gardens. He scolded himself, turned around in the saddle once more, and then dug his heels into Impala’s flank to get her moving. He didn’t know where he would end up, but it would probably be better than where he was now.


	2. ... are not for me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean is having trouble now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be longer than I thought but I feel a massive writer's block coming up so I'm very much hoping that this story will stick to the chapter outline I made. It's probably not going to work that way, though.

Fairy Tales…

… _are not for me_

Dean had been on the road for a few weeks now, and if he was honest: he absolutely hated it. Okay, so he loved travelling, and he loved Impala and he would never be able to leave her alone, but it was horrible. He didn’t know why exactly he had decided during spring, and not summer, but the occasional ‘spring showers’ everyone adored were a mess and were very much a nuisance for Dean, who was travelling lightly and with only a few spare changes of clothing. He didn’t exactly know where he was going and he didn’t know how long he’d be travelling for, but it was very clear that he had made a mistake somewhere along the road.

He was tired and muddy and perpetually wet at that point, and he didn’t even want to do anything anymore. He just wanted to sleep somewhere dry and not think about anything else right now, especially after being rebutted in the umpteenth inn he’d tried to stay the night. It was as if he had been erased from public memory already. Dean started to wonder if he had changed so much that no one recognised him, or if he was no longer welcome in the palace and everyone had silently adjusted to that view. He didn’t hear any news but then again he was kind of trying to dodge any kind of news.

It was late in the evening again when Dean’s stomach rumbled after being denied entrance at the next inn. He was done. So very done. In fact, he felt that, as no one apparently recognised him, he was kind of above the law. So when he saw a cute little cottage that had no light on whatsoever and looked kind of abandoned in the middle of the forest, he just took the chance. Finally, the years he’d spent sneaking into locked rooms would pay off. Dean made quick work of the front door, and after doing that, he brought Impala over to the back of the cottage, where a small garden was marked off with fences. The back yard had a pretty large shed, and when Dean led Impala there, he saw that it even had enough space to lead his horse inside. She would have enough space to do whatever she wanted. Also, there were some carrots in a bundle, and she could have a field day with that after all the grass she’d been forced to eat all day long the past weeks. Dean patted Impala on the shoulder and started untacking her quickly. He was tired and just wanted a good night’s sleep, and even though he loved his horse, she could do without him for more than one night, probably. He’d brush her down in the morning, maybe actually wash her properly, but for now, he just wanted to crash.

Dean checked one last time that everything was in order and that Impala couldn’t hurt herself on anything in the shed, and then closed the door behind him. He walked over to the front of the cottage again, and entered. For an abandoned small little house, it felt very much like a home. Everything seemed to be spacious but cosy, and at the same time it felt very much not natural. On the outside, the cottage was actually small, but as soon as Dena started wandering around in the house, he noticed that it was larger than it seemed. There was a spacious kitchen with an actual dining table and chairs in it, as well. He had stumbled across multiple bedrooms already, and he suspected that none of these were master bedrooms. Dean was tired, and even though he didn’t want to soil any of the bedrooms with his filthy form, he was seriously considering taking a shower first. In addition to there being a lot of bedrooms, there were also several fairly modern bathrooms with showers and actual bathtubs in it. Dean was already glad that he left his shoes near the door, and went into the first bathroom he saw. He quickly shed his clothing, rummaged around in the closets in the bathroom to find a towel (which was surprisingly easy, and he also found a toothbrush and toothpaste, all brand new), and then he started the shower. He was planning on making it something quick, but he couldn’t resist the water beating into his shoulders. It was the first time in several weeks that he had the luxury of actually standing in running water and not washing himself with cold water from a river. So hey, he was going to take whatever he could.

After a few more minutes, his tiredness made itself known again, and Dean yawned. He stepped out of the shower and dried himself off quickly. He left the towel over the handrail, making sure that everything was dry and almost as he had found it. Dean unpacked the toothbrush and toothpaste and made quick work of cleaning his teeth. He was quietly worrying about someone actually living here. The cottage – Dean really needed to think of a different word for it, though – was huge and it was so well-maintained that he was sincerely doubting that it was uninhabited.

Dean yawned again, and decided that those were all worries for the next day. For now, he just wanted to sleep. Even food wouldn’t be able to distract him, as the prospect of finally sleeping in an actual bed again quickly overtook the need for anything else. He was clean again, and food could definitely wait until the morning.

(Oh, he should definitely have paid more attention to all those fairy tales that were told when he was young. He just didn’t realise yet that he had just wandered into his very own fairy tale – and that his life would be better in the long run. It was only the beginning, but all the fairy tales always start in a rather low place, exactly like where Dean was right now.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on [tumblr](https://fpwoper.tumblr.com).


	3. ... are less unlikely now than they were yesterday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (it is definitely going to be longer than I thought. Sorry for the short chapters, but there will be a second chapter up today probably)

**Fairy Tales…**

… _are less unlikely now than they were yesterday_

Dean woke up the next morning feeling a lot better. He was finally well-rested, felt clean and he knew he was safe. So safe, in fact, that he didn’t ignore his morning wood for the first time in a few weeks.

The safety of the room and the house were different but good, and he stretched his muscles before getting dressed again and going about his normal (palace) morning business. He didn’t miss the palace in the slightest but what he did miss was the comfort of his home and the bed he got to sleep in.

Once he was done, he walked downstairs and meandered towards the kitchen. He didn’t know how well-stocked it was but if the rest of the house was any grounds for comparison, it would probably be very well-stocked with even fresh vegetables. When Dean opened the door of the refrigerator, he wasn’t even surprised at the amount of meat and vegetables that were stocked in it. He merely pulled out a few eggs and some bacon, and started working on scrambled eggs and bacon. He was happy with whatever he could get, and while he was waiting for the eggs to cook thoroughly, he started going through some of the kitchen cupboards. He found bread and even some kind of container, and resolved to make a few sandwiches for on the road. Dean knew he was a fool for wanting to leave again so soon, but he knew that the owner of this house probably wasn’t very happy with him for staying and using all their supplies. Last night, Dean had decided that the house had to have an owner, be they absent or not, they were in the habit of keeping it stocked for whatever reason.

After getting his breakfast done and eaten, Dean stretched again. He looked around in the kitchen and cleaned up the mess he’d left behind, making it as if he had never been there at all. Dean was admittedly a bit of a neat freak, but still, he knew that most people were not that very much happy when other people stumbled into their houses, slept in their beds, used their showers and towels, and then made breakfast – and then proceeded to leave without cleaning up their messes.

Dean found a back door in the kitchen that led to the garden in the back, and after he had cleaned up and made lunch sandwiches (maybe even dinner sandwiches, he made enough to make sure to survive a few days), he decided to go out and check up on Impala and brush her down before leaving again. He was glad that his horse also got a good night’s sleep in a dry spot for once, instead of having to suffer all the wet places she had been forced to sleep the past few weeks. He walked towards the shed at a leisure pace, enjoying his stay way too much. Dean found himself thinking about staying there instead of leaving, and just trying to find a way to contact the owner to ask if he was allowed to stay. Dean shook himself. He shouldn’t do that. He should be looking for his own happiness and not for staying somewhere that had no real connection to his happiness at all (oh wait, it did have a comfortable bed, and a shower, and a place for Impala to stay, and it had a well-stocked kitchen and Dean had had the best night’s sleep he’d had in quite a while and-). Dean ignored his own thoughts, and went to open the shed’s door. He was looking forward to just caring for his horse without having to take into account that she would be wet again within the hour or worrying about where they were going to stay or going to get food. Dean was content for now.

Once he opened the door to the shed, though, Dean felt his good mood instantly shatter. Impala was all right, she was looking very good and was enjoying one of the carrots, but she was not alone. There was a man with her and Dean was instantly on edge. The man was dark-haired and looked very lean, but he was also kind of shimmering and seemed to hover above the floor a few inches.

“Who are you?” Dean asked, briskly.

The man turned around and fixed his blue _blue blue blue_ eyes on Dean. “Hello, Dean,” the man said. “I’m Castiel. I’m your fairy godfather.”


	4. ... are apparently real?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Here's another chapter yay!)

**Fairy Tales**

… _are apparently real?_

Dean could only look on with open mouth. He hadn’t expected that, at least.

“What?” he managed after a few minutes. Castiel just smiled at him and continued stroking Impala’s fur.

“I’m your fairy godfather.”

“I didn’t think those where true.”

“Well, you’ve never had any reason to have one.”

“Why are you here then?” Dean asked when Castiel didn’t volunteer any additional information.

“You obviously need help,” Castiel said matter-of-factly. “You are unable to find your own happily ever after, especially now that you are basically on the run from your home, and I have been sent down to help you.”

“So why haven’t you helped me before?”

“You didn’t need it,” Castiel said simply.

Dean blinked. “Then what is the threshold we need to cross in order to _need help_ , according to you?”

“I don’t set the rules, Dean. I am merely sent down to help you and I don’t decide when that is.”

“Then again, what are you doing here, then?” Dean asked, indicating the whole of the shed and including the house in his wide arm sweep.

“Well, this is my home. So I might ask you what _you_ are doing here instead?”

“Your home?” Dean asked, shocked. “What do you mean?”  
“I mean that you are in my home.”

“Why is it so big?”

“Ah,” Castiel said, nodding. “You found that out already. It’s a very particular thing that happens in every house fairies inhabit, apparently. I didn’t know about it before, but Gabriel told me about it. Gabriel is your brother’s fairy godfather, by the way. He got Sam and Jessica together.” When Dean didn’t comment on that, Castiel continued talking. “So fairy houses are normally a fairly standard size that will accommodate our form. We don’t need a lot of space, so they are tiny. However, when a normal human enters the house, it will amend itself to the human’s needs, and for most humans this is apparently a huge and unending house. I felt it when I got back home yesterday.”

Dean blanched and thought about his quick masturbatory session that morning. “You were in the house the entire time?”

“Well, probably not the entire time. I did notice that you were there, and that there was a horse on the property. She might have picked up on me, too. She’s very smart. What do you call her?”

“She’s called Impala,” Dean answered, and felt a streak of pride flit through his chest. He was glad that apparently Castiel and Impala got along at least. That was… something, right?

“A beautiful name for a beautiful horse. She’s glad that you are her rider, by the way,” Castiel said, a smile on his face. A comfortable silence fell between Castiel and Dean, and Dean used it to move closer to Impala and get one of the brushes from his saddlebags. He started brushing her while Castiel looked on, and somehow it wasn’t awkward. Maybe it was the fact that Castiel was not human that should have made Dean wary but instead it calmed Dean, as if Castiel was sending currents of calming whatever through his veins every time Dean started worrying about anything. He hadn’t been that relaxed in quite a while, couldn’t even remember the last time he had been relaxed at all. It made him realise that he had been running himself ragged in the palace regardless of the fact if he was doing anything useful or not – either he was being very busy with physical activities, or he was emotionally stressed out.

His shoulders slowly lowered, and Castiel did notice that, apparently. “You have been very stressed, haven’t you?” he asked.

Dean nodded. “Been travelling for weeks now, and it’s… last night was the first night in quite a while that I actually got to relax even the slightest bit, and it has… helped, at least.” He blushed when he thought about the fact that he has been jerking off in this fairy’s house. His main issue was not the fact that Castiel was a fairy, but more that he was his godfather.

“You can stay here,” Castiel said softly. “You are welcome here, and we could try to look into this whole happily ever after business as slowly as you want to.”

“I’m not sure if I’m interested in having a happily ever after,” Dean blurted out. Castiel looked at him with a weird expression on his face, and Dean looked away quickly.

“I understand, Dean, but finding you a happily ever after is my job.” Castiel was calm but Dean already saw a bit of stress creep into his facial expression. “I’m going to find you one, and it’s best if you help me to get on the right track so that you can be happy sooner rather than later.”

Dean sighed. “Okay, we’ll talk about it later at dinner.”

Castiel smiled broadly, showing off his teeth. “I’ll leave you alone with Impala, then. Please consider staying at my house, though. I’d like the company, and it might keep Gabriel at a distance for at least a few more months.”

Dean smiled back at Castiel and promised that he’d think about it. He then focused on Impala, and decided that he would be spending his day out riding her just for fun instead. With Dean’s focus completely on Impala, he didn’t notice that Castiel was looking at him with the fondness of a parent on his face before disappearing.

Dean took the time to actually care for his horse like he used to do when he was at the palace, and decided to do some of the usual checks he did to make sure that she was in perfect health still. He checked her legs and hooves, and made sure that there was no debris stuck under her shoes. He checked over her back and her backside, and then moved on to her neck and head, checking for infections or flea bites. Impala was completely fine, though, and she was probably already very okay with staying here for the night. Dean smiled, and knew that he had already accepted Castiel’s proposal to stay at least another night. He’d consider it all again the next morning, but for now, he just decided to enjoy the day.

Dean led Impala outside and decided to forego the saddle today in favour of riding her like he used to when he was smaller – the old fashioned way, really. He liked being in touch with nature, and riding Impala like she was a wild horse instead of the somewhat tamed horse Dean had been given after his sixth birthday. Impala also seemed to like it, and Dean and her spent the afternoon just being about outside and bonding. Dean noticed that he was already looking forward to getting to come home to Castiel, even though he barely knew the man. He needed desperately to get some additional information on Castiel and fairy godparents, and he knew that he could probably ask Castiel most of it. He sighed and Impala whinnied softly at him. He stroked her shoulder, and turned her around.

“Let’s go back home, okay?” he whispered to her, and she seemed to understand, as she often did. Dean decided not to pay any attention to the fact that he had already accepted Castiel’s house as his home, and that it gave him a decidedly warm feeling in his chest. He was feeling rather good, and he didn’t want to spoil it all by thinking about his feelings. Castiel was safe, and that was all that mattered right now.


	5. ... are maybe helping me deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahahahahaa. So here's another chapter. I though it would be four chapters, right? Well, this thing is not even nearly done. So you'll get more chapters, maybe also longer chapters. I really don't know yet. But here's the... third (?) update of today. Sorry for the notification e-mails if you get them.

**Fairy Tales…**

_… are maybe helping me deal_

When Dean got back and went to put Impala up in the shed again, he noticed that the shed had been cleaned out and seemed to be more of a stable now than a shed. He smiled at that, and brushed Impala down and gave her fresh water before leaving her again for the night. He walked towards the back door and heard rather than smelled that Castiel was already working in the kitchen. Dean smiled at that, the sense of domesticity that was already enveloping him even though he didn’t know Castiel at all, and entered the house with that smile still on his face. He managed to sneak in without Castiel noticing and undid his boots near the door as to not dirty up the entire place. He knew that he had been clean but he didn’t want to stop doing that now that the owner of the house was back. Dean huffed at that thought and that finally got Castiel’s attention.

“Hello, Dean,” he said, a small smile on his face. “Did you have a nice afternoon with Impala?”

“Yeah,” Dean answered. “I enjoyed myself. How long do I have before dinner?”

“About thirty minutes,” Castiel said. “I mean, I still have to put this together and then pop it into the oven for fifteen-ish minutes…”

Dean nodded. “I’m going to take a shower, then. I smell like horse and nature, and I’m pretty sure that it’s not a good smell anymore, right now.”

“Okay, take your time,” Castiel said, turning back to the ingredients laid out on the counter. Dean felt another smile creep up on his face, and quickly walked towards the staircase before he gave away that he felt kind of giddy in Castiel’s presence. He went up the stairs and found the bathroom he’d showered in yesterday again. It was immaculate, didn’t look like it had been used before, and Dean only knew that it was the same one because of the toothbrush and toothpaste that were still on the counter. Dean quickly undressed and stepped into the shower, and decided that this would have to be one of the quick showers. He needed to figure out a way to wash his clothes, and maybe get some new ones, too. He only had the ornate clothing that was associated to the palace, still, and if Castiel wanted to help Dean find his happily ever after, Dean figured that whoever Castiel was going to drag in had to see the real Dean – not just the prince who didn’t get the throne. He made a mental note to ask Castiel about it later, and for now just enjoyed the shower. It was just as good as it had been the day before, and now that he was actually relaxed, he enjoyed it even more.

When he got out of the shower again, he quickly dried himself off and wrapped the towel around his waist. He thought about what Castiel might need to know about him in order to find a perfect match (or whatever the happily ever after actually entailed, Dean didn’t know yet. Would it be a match, or would it be Dean’s perfect home and household?). Dean walked towards the bedroom he had kind of claimed as his with his mind still stuck in the things he would have to tell Castiel about himself – and thus didn’t notice that Castiel was in his room until he walked right into Castiel’s back. The man huffed out a breath, and Dean quickly steadied him.

Castiel straightened and turned around. “I’m sorry for intruding, but I thought you might needs some more clothing.”

Dean blushed as he felt Castiel’s eyes move over his body. He was glad for the towel in front of his junk, especially seeing that his dick apparently took interest in Castiel’s gazing. “I’m… thanks, I guess,” Dean said eventually.

“I got you sweatpants and t-shirts,” Castiel said, motioning to the bed. “If you want something specific, you can tell me. Also, I’ll wash the dirty clothing that’s in the hamper.”

“Thanks, Castiel,” Dean whispered, and moved towards the clothing laid out on the bed. When Castiel didn’t move to leave the room, Dean cleared his throat, and Castiel seemed to be shaken from his stupor. He looked up and saw Dean still in only the towel.

“Oh, yes,” Castiel managed, apparently flustered as well now. “You’ll… You want some privacy. I’m… I’m sorry. I need to check up on the food anyway.” He then hastily beat his retreat, and the tension seemed to leave the room with Castiel. Dean exhaled again and dropped the towel. That… was weird but hot at the same time, and Dean felt that he could have a field day chastising his dick for taking in interest in his fairy godfather – a fairy, so not a human, and his _godfather_ , for screaming out loud. Instead, though, Dean rummaged through the wardrobe to find underwear, blushing when he also saw some more feminine styles amongst the pairs of boxer shorts in there. He got dressed, pulling on a pair of boxers, the soft grey sweatpants and a burgundy t-shirt. He found some socks in the wardrobe and quickly put those on as well. He was hungry and mildly embarrassed, so asking Castiel about the women’s underwear in his wardrobe would have to wait for a while. Food was going to be first, and he had to fill Castiel in on his dating preferences for Castiel to be able to find Dean’s perfect happily ever after. Dean suddenly remembered that he might not even need a date to find his happily ever after, and that kind of soothed him already.

Dean went downstairs and entered the kitchen just as Castiel removed the casserole dish from the oven. The table was already set, and Castiel didn’t seem to think that Dean had to do something, so Dean just sat down and waited until dinner was completely ready to be served.


	6. ... will be the death of me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I say that the previous one would be the last chapter I'd post today? Oh, ahhah. I might have lied.
> 
> (also, headcanon is that Dean is bisexual of course. I'm sorry)

Fairy Tales…

… _will be the death of me_

After dinner, Dean and Castiel did the dishes and then just fell on one of the couches in the living room.

“So,” Dean said, still unsure what was going to be happening. “This whole happily ever after thing. Do I need to?”

“Do you want to be happy?” Castiel asked in return.

Dean grumbled. “You can’t answer a question with another question, dude. Not fair at all.”

Castiel chuckled. “It is necessary to determine my answer, though, so please: do you want to be happy?”

“I guess so.” Dean made a face. “I mean, I wasn’t really happy before but I just… I don’t know. Probably?”

“You don’t know.” Castiel sounded incredulous and Dean just shrugged self-consciously.

“I haven’t actually had lots of time to think about this, man. You’re kind of just dumping this on me.”

“I was under the impression that you were using your time in the woods with Impala as time to think about it, but I was obviously wrong.” Castiel sighed. “Look, fairy godparents are basically forced to make sure that their charges are happy. We are sent down from Heaven to do that, and when we are done, we return. There is a grace period of around eighteen years. If a human hasn’t even tried to be happy at that point, they will receive assistance. So, normally, I would have been sent to you on your eighteenth birthday. I don’t know what went wrong there, though, and it took us long enough to track you down.”

“Wait. I thought you said Gabriel helped Sam and Jess get together but they were together before Sam turned eighteen,” Dean interjected.

“Yes,” Castiel sighed. “Sam was a special occasion. You forfeited your rights to the throne, so Sam had to find a spouse fast, and thus his happily ever after was pushed forward a couple of years to make sure that he would be happy when he reigned, and that he was not alone to carry the burden of the throne.”

“Okay. So, you are here to help me, right?”

“Yes.”

“What can I expect?”

“I’m sorry?” Castiel said. “What you can expect? What is it _you_ want, Dean?”

“I’m… I don’t think I know. It’s just… I don’t know what you expect from my happily ever after. Am I married? Am I just living together? Do I need to pick up a date for this?”

“That’s up to you,” Castiel said, his voice taking on a soothing tone. “If you feel your life would be better without marriage, then your happily ever after won’t include one. It’s your _happily ever after_ , Dean. If you’re not happy, then the effects will definitely not be forever.”

“Castiel, I’m… I just… I don’t know. I don’t know if I’m up to that.”

Castiel sighed and moved around on the couch to get comfortable. “Let’s just talk about your expectations for a bit. What do you imagine when you think of things that make you happy?”

“Impala,” Dean said immediately, eliciting a chuckle from Castiel. “I mean, she reflects part of my freedom, and I guess freedom is important, too, to me. I don’t want to be bound to anyone who will drag me down and make me unhappy. Forests make me happy, like being left alone and having privacy at times when I want that.” Dean took a deep breath. “Not having too much responsibility. I guess that’s why I forfeited the right to the throne. I just didn’t want to be responsible for that many people. I hate making mistakes, and those made on the level of a kingdom can be disastrous. I can’t… do that.”

Castiel nodded. “So, freedom, privacy and a lack of responsibility. Do you want your potential partner to take responsibility for you?”

Dean blanched. “No, definitely not. I want us to be on equal footing. I don’t want a different power balance, just someone who might share my opinions and… I don’t want to end up like my parents.”

“I understand,” Castiel said. He sounded like he was far away and it took him a few minutes before he said anything else. “Do you want to try dating to find a suitable partner?”

“Why does this sound like I don’t have a choice?”

“Of course you have a choice!” Castiel sounded affronted and Dean had to hide his smile. “If you are not interested in having a partner, that is something I’ll take into account.”

“It’s just very clinical.”

“I know,” Castiel sighed. “I mean, I’ve been doing this for several millennia now, and it doesn’t ever get easier.” He brightened up quickly, though. “I do have the best track record with happily ever afters, though, so it should not be a problem at all.”

“You are several millennia old?” Dean asked. He took it as an opportunity to check Castiel out again (man, he was _hot_ ). “You definitely don’t look it.”

Castiel blushed (which made him even hotter – no Dean no don’t think about it). “Thank you. I don’t actually know how old I am, but I’ve been in the business for a very very long time.”

“So,” Dean said, clearing his throat. “How are we going to do this, then? Do you have business propositions for how to get started on this whole _find Dean a suitable happily ever after_ thing?”

“We do, actually,” Castiel said. “First, we need to find out what you want, and we try to find out if you want a partner. Then, we’ll go look for a fitting partner. You are of course allowed to veto anyone you don’t feel comfortable with or anything. When and if we find you a partner, we’ll sit you down again – without your partner – to talk about what you might want out of said partner. We’ll sit down with your partner, and then we’ll talk about exactly the same with them. That way, we know if you are a suitable match or not, and if you might run into trouble along the lines of your relationship.” Castiel blushed. “That rule is quite recent, actually. I wish we’d had that before, it would have helped a lot of relationships and happily ever afters. Your parents’ for instance. No one checked if they were going to butt heads in the future and look where that got you.”

“So, find out enough information about me, then find out if the partner is okay… and then?”  
“Then you get to pick a house and where you want to live, and you get married if you want to, but that’s all beyond our interference, really,” Castiel said. “The whole thing is that we _help_ you along the way, not that we actually meddle in your personal life throughout your life.”

“So you are just going to help me get a partner, vet said partner, and that’s it?” Dean asked. “Why did you wait so long before starting this whole process with me?”

Castiel fidgeted nervously. “Well… as I said, I don’t know the whole reason, but you were probably moved down the list when you decided you didn’t want to rule the kingdom.”

“There’s something else, isn’t there?” Dean guessed, and sighed when Castiel nodded and immediately looked away. “Tell me, please. It can’t be that bad.”

“I… I have been observing you in the past ten years or so, and… I just never thought you were truly unhappy until the last few weeks. You were perfect on your own. Some of my fellow fairies were starting to think that you were aromantic, at least. Some of the fairies higher up dared to say you were asexual, and said it was a bad thing. It’s hard to shake that, and you were so happy being free and being with Impala instead of with a partner… It was easy to just let it all slip.”

Dean bit his lip. “I’m not asexual or aromantic,” he said. “I mean, it took me a while to figure out my sexuality, really. I’m still not entirely sure. I am sure, though, that I’m demiromantic. The… the whole sexuality thing is a bit harder but… bisexual. I think.”

Castiel actually lit up at that. “Thank you for telling me, Dean,” he said, gratitude clear and genuine in his voice. “I understand that you are not entirely sure. Sexuality is fluid, after all, and it’s fine not being able to pinpoint exactly how you feel about your sexuality.”

“Thank you,” Dean whispered with a smile on his face. “That’s… really good to hear.”

Castiel shrugged. “I can’t judge, so I won’t judge. Now, let’s get started, okay?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, guys. Please leave comments or kudos. Not hearing anything is kind of demotivating (while I'm having a lot of fun writing this, I'm basically sacrificing time that I could have spent writing an essay so... yeah.)
> 
> I'm on [tumblr](https://fpwoper.tumblr.com) (so you can pester me there as well)


	7. … are kicking my ass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This really is the last chapter I'll upload today. I swear. I'm going to bed soon so I can't write anything anymore.

**Fairy Tales…**

_… are kicking my ass_

The next morning, Dean woke up well-rested once more, and he took the time to complete his morning rituals and jerk of in peace. When he finally made it downstairs, freshly showered and all ready for a new day, he only found a note in the kitchen. It was addressed to him, and Dean opened it before even starting on breakfast. Maybe it was his ‘eviction notice’, who knew. Maybe Castiel had decided not to help him at all. Dean unfolded it quickly and started reading.

 

_Dean,_

_You might wonder why I’m not here today and why I’ve left a note (probably in reverse order, though). Today, I’ll be out getting fresh vegetables and meat, and since the closest village is about a day’s travel, I won’t be back. There’s still enough food, though, so please eat as much as you want. I will be back tomorrow, but don’t worry: I’ll be looking for a suitable partner while I’m out. ~~I know we haven’t talked about gender yet or if you have any preferences but we’ll do that when I’m back.~~ So please don’t worry._

_Castiel_

_PS: I might have forgotten to include this but I won’t be back until lunch at least, so don’t count on me for breakfast tomorrow._

Dean read through it again and then laughed. It was horribly domestic, and it felt kind of ridiculous, the notion that Dean had to be told that Castiel, his fairy godfather, was gone for two days even though they had only met two days before. It was… soothing, though, and Dean knew that he _would_ have worried if Castiel just hadn’t showed up for breakfast.

He started his day as he did the day before, though, and made himself a quick breakfast before going over to the converted shed to see how Impala was doing. While he was brushing her down, he started wondering how Castiel was getting to the village. Could he fly? He was a fairy, and fairies were supposed to have wings, didn’t they? Dean had seen him hover before, but he had never asked Castiel about it. It was something that really caught Dean’s interest, though, and it was definitely something Dean wanted to know, now. He’d just have to wait until Castiel got back, though.

Instead of just sitting inside all day, Dean decided to take advantage of the sunny weather outside to take Impala for a walk through the forest. He didn’t want to put any tack on her again, so they just went into the forest and Dean decided to let her run loose. She would return to him anyway, and Dean already had bowlegs – no need to spend more time sitting on a horse and getting even more pronounced bowlegs while he was at it.

When the clouds were starting to become more pronounced, Dean whistled for Impala, and she came trotting back. She was a good horse, and Dean was so very glad to have her stay by his side, still. He ran a hand through her mane, and led her back to her stable. He knew that he could leave her outside, but when she was inside, she was more safe. Maybe he should talk to Castiel about building a fence around some of the larges patches of grass to make her a paddock. With a sigh, he put it on his list of things to talk to Castiel about. That list was only growing, and Dean hadn’t really gotten all of his answers yet, so between Castiel being away and Dean’s curiosity, that wasn’t even a surprise anymore.

After quickly checking up on Impala, and providing her with fresh water and more hay, he went back inside. It was getting rather late, and he had already skipped lunch so his stomach was actually grumbling by now. He didn’t really have the patience to cook, but Castiel had nothing precooked in his still very well-stocked freezer or fridge, so Dean sighed and got to work on a simple pasta dish. The amount of food still in stock made Dean wonder if Castiel had an ulterior motive for going out. He didn’t _need_ fresh meat or vegetables, there were still plenty. Dean felt a little hurt – if Castiel needed some space he could have just said so, because it was still his house, and Dean was still merely a guest. He understood that people (fairies, whatever) sometimes needed space and he could have cleared the house _like he did anyway_ to give Castiel some alone time. Regardless of that, the house was apparently infinite when Dean was in it, so Castiel could have found a room somewhere in infinity to avoid Dean, too.

While he was slowly getting himself in a darker and darker mood, he did get to enjoy dinner, and after dinner, he just decided to hunt the house for some books to read before going to bed. He found quite a lot, and decided that the library, which was apparently a feature in Castiel’s house, was the best spot in the house apart from the kitchen and the bedroom. Dean found peace and quiet there and immediately felt at home, even though he wouldn’t normally spend a lot of time in libraries. Sam did, though, and maybe that was partially why Dean was feeling a weird combination of cosiness and homesickness. It was only mildly off-putting, and Dean decided that he could deal with it until Castiel returned. Maybe he should also talk to Castiel about getting to visit his brother someday, to tell Sam that he was still alive but… not really dealing, and that he needed more time on his own to get to understand some of the things that were going on in his life. That was a good idea, Dean decided, and added it to the list of things he needed to talk to Castiel about. Really, too much. Dean laughed at himself, and tried to get back into the book he was enjoying.

It didn’t really work, and Dean found himself writing down what he needed to ask Castiel just to create space in his mind. He needed to unload some things, and he might as well put all of those thoughts down so that he didn’t forget anything important.

_Question list:_

  * _Flying?_
  * _Gabriel?_
  * _Family?_
  * _Sam – contact him?_
  * _Gender issue_
  * _Aftermath_



Dean thought that that about covered it, and put the note in his pocket. The list wasn’t as long as he had feared, but every question had at least one sub-question, and those sub-questions would lead to sub-sub-questions, probably. All in all, Dean thought they could probably talk about this all for at least a day. Not that he wanted it all to end and to leave Castiel behind again, but… it could theoretically fill a whole day. Dean huffed at himself, and had this weird feeling that he was forgetting to include some of the things he wanted to ask Castiel, but he decided to leave it at that. The time had flown by while he was reading his book, and it was pretty late. Late enough to warrant going to bed, anyway, and Dean was not going to stay up too late now that he had finally found the joys of a good bed.

He walked from the library to his room and dropped the book on the bedside table. He would probably enjoy waking up and getting to read the book immediately, even though he liked the atmosphere of the library. It had been quite a while since he had last read books in bed – must have been at least fifteen years ago, now that Dean was actually thinking about it, and wasn’t that just a pity. Dean sighed, and quickly got ready for bed. He’d take a shower in the morning, but now he was just too tired to actually do anything that would require him to stay awake for longer than a few minutes. He hadn’t noticed it before but after getting up from the comfortable chair in the library, the tiredness just seemed to flare. Dean was not going to risk drowning, and so he just stumbled into bed and fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me who Dean should try to date :) (also, comments and kudos are very much welcome)


	8. … are unexpectedly okay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, toward the first date (which will be the next chapter). If you have any people you desperately want Dean to date, leave them in the comments, and I'll try to include them!

**Fairy Tales…**

… _are unexpectedly okay_

When Dean made lunch the next day, he made a few extra sandwiches for Castiel, knowing that his fairy godfather would be making an appearance soon. He didn’t think that Castiel would be too hungry, but food was always a good thing, and it was easy for Dean to lose himself in food instead of wondering why Castiel had disappeared again.

So when Castiel finally arrived, Dean felt like an overenthusiastic dog unable to contain joy at seeing their owner again after a long period of time – and wasn’t that fucked up? Dean barely knew his fairy godfather, and Castiel barely knew him, and they had only met a few days before, and Castiel had only been gone for two days. Castiel, of course, noticed his enthusiasm but interpreted it wrongly.

“Excited about food?” Castiel asked, and Dean took the excuse gratefully.

“Yes,” Dean answered. “I also wanted to talk to you about some things. I think… we might have skipped over some important bits yesterday, and I have questions and concerns and… I just want to settle them.”

Castiel hummed. “Let me put away some of the groceries first, and then we’ll talk. I might also get something to eat while I’m at it.”

“I’ll help you,” Dean quickly volunteered. “And I made some more sandwiches so you can just get out from the fridge.”

Castiel looked at Dean with gratefulness in his eyes – and there was something that Dean couldn’t really identify but it was gone too soon to be properly identified. Dean followed Castiel into the kitchen with a few bags in his hand and started unloading everything. True to his word, Castiel _had_ actually gotten groceries. Most were eggs or bacon or anything Dean ate during the day or made for dinner, and Dean smiled at that. Castiel was very considerate.

When everything was put in its place, Castiel grabbed two sandwiches and they settled down in the chairs around the huge kitchen table.

“So, Dean, what is it you wanted to talk about?” Castiel asked before taking a bite out of his sandwich.

Dean fidgeted for a moment, thinking of his list and what to ask first. “It’s… kind of hard to decide. I have quite a few things, actually. Uh… The first thing, I guess, is if we could make a paddock for Impala? She’d love to be outside but I don’t want to have to supervise her or worry about her all the time and… I think that is something doable. I wanted to discuss it with you first, since this is actually your house, and all that.”

Castiel nodded. “Thank you for your consideration. We’ll create a paddock for her tomorrow after breakfast, and I’ll make sure that she will have enough space and also a place where she can be sheltered if it starts to rain all of a sudden.”

“Thank you,” Dean said, relieved already. He knew that Castiel liked him and had to make sure that his happily ever after was achieved, but he still felt like everything Castiel decided to give him was, in fact, something he could not just accept as a gift. “I… also wanted to raise the concern of Sam, or well…” Dean took a deep breath. “I’m worried that he is concerned about me. I mean, I ran away like two months ago, and I haven’t let him know yet that I’m actually safe and that I’m where I want to be right now. Can I… is there a way to contact him that won’t be too slow? I know my brother has bigger concerns than me running away as he is trying to run a whole friggin’ country, but still. I’d like him to know that I’m still alive.”

“Sam knows that you are still alive,” Castiel said. “Gabriel told him the second you arrived at my house. I mean, Gabriel had apparently been keeping an eye on my home before you arrived, and he noticed you immediately, and took it upon himself to report back to Sam. Sam wasn’t yet at that point where he was actually actively worrying, but it had started to creep into his mind, so Gabriel had to soothe that worry in order to make sure that Sam kept his happily ever after and didn’t smash it along the way.”

“So I can contact Sam?”

“You can, definitely. We’ll have to find the best way to bring him the news without involving Gabriel, though, as I don’t want Gabriel near you until you are settled into your happily ever after.” Castiel shivered, and looked away.

“Why?” Dean asked, curiosity piqued now.

“Gabriel is…” Castiel had to look for the right word, apparently. “He is loud and abrasive, and I think you can say that his character is an acquired taste. I can’t stand him for more than a few hours, and newly exposed people often can’t deal with him for more than a few minutes, so… let’s just say I’ll try to avoid that.” Castiel noticed Dean’s expression of worry, and quickly added, “My home is warded against Gabriel, because this is my private property. I don’t want him snooping around all the time, and that’s definitely something he’d want to do. All the time. Anyone who is welcome in my home is also automatically warded while they are my guest, just to make sure that Gabriel doesn’t sneak in alongside you.”

“That’s…” Dean blew out a breath. “Wow. That’s a lot of measures to prevent him from entering. Sounds like he is the annoying older brother.”

“He is.” Castiel sighed. “He definitely is. He’s horrible and always pestering someone, and since I was appointed to your cause, he has been pestering me even more. The fairy godparents don’t normally interact that much with each other unless they are connected to the same family, so I’ll just… have to endure it all.”

Dean chuckled softly. “Yes, brothers can be very annoying indeed.” Three or four down already, Dean thought, and reflected on how easily that had gone over. Castiel was too benevolent for his own good, really. “So, uh, this is going to sound so weird and so very much off topic but I can’t seem to get it off my mind, but… how did you travel to the closest village? I haven’t seen one close at all when I arrived here, so… I’m assuming it might be even more than a day’s travel for most people, but you’re a _fairy_ , so… can you fly? Or did you walk there?” Dean flushed in embarrassment. Okay, he did want to know about that, but he had not exactly been planning on asking Castiel so very… weirdly. He had also meant to bring up the gender thing for his happily ever after but somehow that wasn’t what came out of his mouth.

“I can fly,” Castiel answered. “But not very far. It’s more… hovering. I suppose I would be able to go further if I wanted to, and if I put in any effort, but really, I don’t mind that much. I can also teleport, kind of.” Castiel looked away at that. “And you were right in regards to that closest village. It’s not close at all. So, I go there once a month, and I teleport to the forests around the village as to not startle the people in the village.”

“You can teleport?”

“Yup.”

Dean just stared at Castiel, and slowly let that sink in. Castiel could magically disappear and then reappear at a specific other spot. That was… amazing. “Okay.” Dean didn’t know what else to say, and now he was up for the topic they actually needed to discuss. “So… do we have a plan to pick up a date for me?”

“I do,” Castiel answered, his voice steady. “I don’t know if you have a preference for males or females – even if you identify as bisexual, you probably lean towards one more than the other, I found. So… we need to establish your preference, and then we narrow it down further. I’ve got my eye on a few ladies and gentlemen already.”

“You were pretty prepared, then,” Dean said. Thank the gods for Castiel addressing the issue Dean had been dancing around.

“I am,” Castiel nodded. “Preparation makes the work a lot easier, so I tend to make sure that I already know some people that might click with my charge. It’s only a matter of who you are most comfortable to go on a date with.”

“I… I think I’ll have to start out with women. I haven’t dated men before and I’m not sure how… comfortable that will be. I’ll… Yes, we’ll start off with the ladies you’ve apparently got lined up for me.”

Castiel smiled. “That’s no problem. There is several, like four or five that might fit your personality and your descriptions of what you want in your happily ever after. So, we can set up the first one and see where it ends?”

Dean nodded, and even though he got the feeling that he was sealing his fate with that agreement, he knew that it was only the beginning.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (less chapters today than yesterday but hey, enjoy me writing this thing while I should be writing essays en masse)


	9. ... are setting me up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First date!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First date is with Lisa for the people who want to know.

**Fairy Tales**

_... are setting me up_

Dean was feeling a bit apprehensive but he was also excited and looking forward to this first date. Castiel had set them up and while Dean was fairly confident in Cas’ matchmaking skills – he was supposedly the best fairy godfather after all – it somehow didn’t soothe his nerves. His first date was with a woman named Lisa, and that was about all Dean knew about her. Castiel had it set up as a blind date, and had only given Dean her name and her gender, and that was it. So, yeah, he was feeling… apprehensive and nervous.

Castiel dropped him off at the meeting point, some non-descript café Dean might have frequented if he were middle class and actually went out to drink coffee with friends. He didn’t, though, so he had never been there. The woman, Lisa, had been given a description of him, and she was to identify him as her blind date. They were just going to go and sit down for a coffee and see if they’d click or not, and after, they’d decide if they wanted a second date or not.

A few minutes later, an attractive brunette with slight tan approached Dean, and she looked him over taxingly.

“You are Dean?” she asked, and when Dean nodded, she extended her hand. “I’m Lisa.”

Dean shook her hand and then followed her inside. “What can I get for you?” Dean asked once they were inside.

“A latte macchiato, please. I’ll go get us a table, you go order?” Lisa posed it as a question and Dean nodded in confirmation. The line for the counter wasn’t particularly long but the people in front of him were all for the complicated orders, apparently. When he was up at the counter, he quickly ordered up – just a black coffee and the latte Lisa wanted. He waited patiently for them to make the order and added a cupcake and a slice of pie to the order just because he could before paying. When the barista slid the tray over to him, he thanked her and manoeuvred his way back to the table Lisa had chosen. It was situated in a nice and quiet corner that would provide them with enough privacy to talk about whatever they wanted.

Lisa quickly grabbed her latte, and started warming her hands on the mug. “So, Dean,” she said. “Castiel only told me that you were looking for a date, maybe, so… I don’t know anything about you. What should I know?”

Dean laughed. “Honestly, I’m not even surprised that Castiel hasn’t told you anything. So, first things first, Castiel is my fairy godfather, and he’s helping me settle down right now. I’m… Well, I like peace and quiet, just found out that I apparently like libraries to hang around in. My horse, Impala, is currently a big part of my life, since she’s the only one still with me from my previous life, basically. Eh… What about you?”

“I’m Lisa, obviously, and I live in this town. I also like to enjoy the quiet, which doesn’t happen very often since Ben was born, but I still… I try to get in some me-time, you know.”

“You have a son?” Dean asked. He was neutral on children, knew that he might want them in the future but wasn’t sure on his view at the moment.

“Yes,” Lisa confirmed. “He’s eight years old, now, growing quite fast. It’s not an obstacle, is it?”

“No, no,” Dean said, and he meant it. “I was just wondering how he would react to a new possible father figure.”

“Ah, that’s not something for the first date, really,” Lisa said. “Not even the second or third date. Once I get the feeling that we might be on the right track, then I’ll introduce the two of you. I don’t want to disappoint him, you know.”

Dean nodded. That was understandable, really. If he’d have any children he’d feel exactly the same towards new people or possible new partners in his life.

“So, family?” Dean asked. He really didn’t know what to do in these kinds of situations, and it was awkward enough as it was. He was getting excited about a kid he wouldn’t even see until he was well into dating Lisa.

“Not really. Ben’s dad is definitely out of the picture. It was a one night stand and it turned out to be one of the biggest mistakes of my life if it wasn’t for Ben being the outcome of it. Uh… I can’t even remember the guy’s name but the condom must’ve broken. I don’t really know. I do have a sister, but she’s married to someone who travels a lot for work, and she goes with him nowadays, so I don’t really see her often. Really, it’s just Ben and me most of the time.” Lisa looked up at him. “You?”

“Don’t want to go in depth into my situation, really,” Dean said, looking down. “I… I mean, I only have a married brother but I kind of ran away, so I’m not really in touch with him right now. I’m going to set that straight soon, though, but right now… I’m just learning how to live with myself for now, and that seems to be pretty hard in itself.”

“I know. When Ben was born, I had a hard time, too. Being on your own and having to raise a newborn baby… Oh god, it was hell. I felt like I hadn’t slept in weeks after a few days, and I was so very glad that my sister decided to turn up to help me out.”

“Yup, sometimes siblings are a godsend, aren’t they? My brother helped me out a few times as well, but… it just didn’t seem to cut it this time around.”

They managed to talk for another half an hour about stupid siblings and their shenanigans before they got back to talking about Dean and him running away from his previous home – which he still hadn’t mentioned.

“You have issues, then?” Lisa asked.

Dean shrugged. “Probably? I guess the answer is yes, but I’m trying to get there. There’s certainly some abandonment issues, and it takes me some time to get attached to people because of that. I’m also not the best at sharing my emotions.”

Lisa laughed at that. “I can understand that. Really, if that’s it, then I might as well just jump in. I mean, you are gorgeous, and you are clearly already psyched to meet my son… Why not do this?”

Dean fidgeted in his seat. He actually had an answer to that. Castiel had asked him to look for someone he would want to share the rest of his life with, and while he _liked_ Lisa, he didn’t think that she would be _it_ for him. Not for the rest of his life, anyway. They would get through the years when Ben was still at home but as soon as he’d flown the nest they would break up. Dean could see it happening even without Castiel’s Sight. Maybe they were better off as friends, really. He would love that. Maybe he’d get to spend time with Ben just as one of his mom’s friends, without the awkward new boyfriend kind of feeling surrounding the whole thing.

“I… I don’t think that will work out all too well, Lisa,” Dean quietly admitted. “I like you, and I’d love to stay in contact with you and meet Ben anyway, but I just think that… we can talk about a lot of things but… there won’t be anything romantically between the two of us. I’m not looking for _just sex_ , I’m looking for the whole package deal. You know, living together, seeing each other grow old, dying together.”

Lisa made a face. “Ugh, not what I wanted to think about, really.” She then looked at Dean seriously. “I know what you mean, and I think I agree. I’d like you to meet my son as a friend, not as my lover. Not that I don’t trust you around my son – from the stories you’ve told me you have basically raised your brother and he did very well so that’s not an issue at all. It’s more… that you are completely right.”

“Thanks, Lis,” Dean said, and he chuckled. “Good to know that we are on the same page. So… are we going to be awkward about it, or are we just going to leave now and contact each other again in the future?”

“I think we’re going to have to go for the contacting in the future thing. I know where Castiel lives, and I’m assuming that you live with him at the moment. Ben and I will drop by somewhere during the next week or so. I’ll let you know.”

Dean smiled, and got up from his seat. “I’ll get you another coffee, though. We’ve been here for so long, and I’m assuming someone is babysitting Ben right now. You should enjoy your alone time.”

After that, he kissed Lisa on the cheek and went to the counter to order her another latte macchiato, and then waved to her when he was leaving. It had been a good day, and a good potential date, but just not exactly what he was looking for.


	10. … are trying to set me up (pt 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Date #2  
> (with Meg 2.0)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not really feeling this chapter. I wanted to maybe get Dean to like Meg, and Meg using Dean to get to Cas (to get Dean jealous) but my own feelings got in the way and it didn't work out.

**Fairy Tales…**

… _are trying to set me up (pt 2)_

Castiel didn’t give Dean a lot of time to evaluate his date with Lisa. As soon as Dean told Castiel that they had decided to just be friends, and see where that went, Castiel set up another date. Dean just shrugged it off and decided to talk to Castiel about that later. Serial dating never worked really well but maybe Dean misjudged Castiel in that respect. Who knew.

His next date was different from the coffee date with Lisa. Castiel had set up a lunch date with the next woman. Dean was told she was called Meg, and that was – once again – all the information he was given.

So, once again, Dean was waiting outside of an establishment for a woman he didn’t know to approach him and tell him she was Meg. He didn’t have to wait long before a dark-haired girl (seriously, did Castiel do that on purpose) approached him confidently. She was wearing a black leather jacket and overall she projected the air of a rock star. Why Castiel had put her up with a lunch date with Dean was a mystery. She looked like she was much more at ease at a concert or in a night club.

“Hi, I’m Meg,” she said, her voice short but somehow sweet. “You Dean?”

Dean just nodded, and he let her lead him into the restaurant. He had the feeling that she was a dominant person who needed to be her own boss more than anything. Still, he tried.

They were seated by a waitress who was just a bit too cheery, and when she walked away after giving them their menus, Meg sent her back a dark look. They perused their menus in silence. Dean didn’t know what to say, and it was kind of getting awkward.

“I am very disappointed that Clarence didn’t show up with you,” Meg finally said after they had ordered their food.

“Clarence?” Dean asked, frowning.

“Yeah, the dude who asked me if I wanted to go on a blind date with a quote-unquote ‘amazing guy’.”

“Oh,” Dean sighed. She meant Castiel. Of course. He did look like a Clarence more than a Castiel. “He’s… he’s just on the lookout for me, I guess.”

“Yeah, I guess so too. Any way you know how to get into his pants?”

Dean just gaped at her. After a few moments, he managed to stutter an “Excuse me?” but that was as far as Dean got. He didn’t like her, and if she was going to treat him as a gateway into Castiel’s bed, she was in for a treat.

“I asked if you knew how to get that boy into my bed, _Dean_ ,” Meg said, voice low and dangerous. “I could find out by myself, but that’s no fun, now is it?”

Dean shivered. He really, really didn’t like this lady. “I don’t know,” Dean answered honestly. “I really don’t. I’ve known the man for a month now and that’s definitely not enough to find out how to get into his pants, okay?”

She seemed to accept it – too easy, Dean thought absentmindedly – but they were distracted by the food coming in. They ate in silence, which was only broken to comment on the food, occasionally. Dean got the feeling that Meg was not interested in him, which was of course only aggravated because of her constant questions about Castiel. Dean felt uncomfortable even being near her, and she didn’t exactly try to ask him anything. The whole atmosphere was… unpleasant, to say in the least.

As soon as they finished up with their lunch, the two of them parted ways. Dean took it upon himself to pay the bill, and he promised Meg that he would ask Castiel to consider her as a date for himself instead of for Dean. It was awkward, but Dean felt better already once she was gone. He actually made sure that she was out of his sight before he left for home. He didn’t want her to follow him at all.

 

Once Dean got home again, he immediately went for Impala. He didn’t want to bring her to his dates, with her being an actual thoroughbred horse and him not knowing who he was going to a date to, but that meant that his time with her had been drastically cut into. With him travelling to his dates and then having to return again… Dean sighed. He wasn’t liking the dates so far, and he knew that Castiel was trying, really, but it all just felt _wrong_ somehow.

When Dean felt like he could go inside and talk to Castiel again, he left Impala and went inside. He removed his shoes, first, and then padded into the kitchen.

“Hello, Dean,” Castiel said, turning around and flinching at Dean’s dejected face. “What’s wrong?”

“Meg wanted to date you instead,” Dean said. “I didn’t even have to try. It was quite clear from her second sentence.”

“Oh.” Castiel licked his lips and turned back to the stove. “I… I don’t know what to say to that.”

“How about something that would cover that we need to communicate more about these dates?” Dean said. He wasn’t angry, not really. He was just disappointed, and especially now that he was tired and two dates into this whole find your happily ever after thing and he felt _worse_ than he ever had in his life.

“It’s not working, is it?” Castiel asked, turning down the heat on the stove, and turning around to face Dean again. Castiel saw the look on Dean’s face and quickly went over to him. Dean felt two arms encircle his shoulders, and he just returned the hug. He was feeling strangely numb, but was enjoying the physical contact at the same time. “I don’t really understand it… but it will be okay, Dean. We’ll find someone, and we’ll do something about the process if that will help you.”

“Please,” Dean said. “I… I just don’t want it to be a blind date anymore. I want to know who I am meeting besides a name. Just a face will help me too, probably.”

“Okay,” Castiel said, finally letting go of Dean. “We’ll do that, then.” He then sighed and gestured for Dean to sit down. “I think we need to take a break as well. If you go into your dates with that long look on your face it will never work out.”

Dean felt vaguely offended but it didn’t warrant a reply. He was emotionally worn out already, and he agreed that there shouldn’t be a date for at least a week.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I'm sorry if this is crappy, I've had a really really bad day on a personal and academic level and... it took me a lot to even sit down and write)
> 
> I'm on [tumblr](https://fpwoper.tumblr.com). Please leave kudos and comments (also for date plans. I've never been on a date before getting to know someone so this is awkward)


	11. … are finally giving me a break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Castiel finally talk about some dating stuff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving for the people who celebrate it!

**Fairy Tales…**

_… are finally giving me a break_

Dean was glad that Castiel agreed with them taking a break in finding Dean his happily ever after the two dates he’d had. They decided to stay home for a week at least, and after that week they would just see how everything went. For now, thought, they were just relaxing. Castiel made Dean go on trips with Impala, and Lisa came by, as promised. Castiel and Lisa hit it off right away. Dean and Ben were also on their way to a steady friendship and Dean didn’t even mind entertaining the little guy the whole day – he was actually kind of sad and disappointed when Ben and Lisa had to leave again, and Lisa had laughed at him for that. Something about a strong man acting like a child. Dean didn’t think it warranted a reply, but it had gotten Castiel’s approval, apparently, as Castiel was laughing when they left.

Now it was almost the end of the respite week as Dean was calling it. They were starting to talk about the new dates, but it was kept to a bare minimum. Castiel asked for Dean’s input on what he wanted to do, and that led to the point where they were now.

Dean was currently sitting in a simple restaurant that served burgers and pie, and Castiel was sitting across from him and somehow the waitress thought they were on an actual date. Dean didn’t have the heart to tell her he was demonstrating his perfect date for Castiel, who was supposed to find him the perfect person to go on a date with – and Dean tried his best to ignore the twinge of disappointment (and hurt?) that followed that thought.

Dean was thankful that the waitress didn’t tell them they were a cute couple or anything, but she was definitely not flirting with Dean which she normally always did, so it was enough of a marker for Dean to pick up but not something Castiel would understand. Dean sighed. He had to focus on the dates, and on proposing an idea that might help him find a _date_ quicker.

“Are you okay, Dean?” Castiel’s concerned voice broke through Dean’s reverie, and Dean was actually startled at that.

“Uh, yeah,” he said. “Why wouldn’t I be?”  
“You looked like your thoughts were very far away, and you were slightly frowning, so…” Castiel trailed off, but Dean got it. He had been thinking too loudly, and even Castiel had picked up on it.

“Eh, yeah, I was thinking about the dates,” Dean said. It was true but… not the entire truth. Castiel didn’t need to know everything right now, especially because that bit was not a part of his whole mission. “I mean, we’re now doing what I’d love to do for a date – just something simple, like getting a coffee like I did with Lisa. That was perfect, too. I don’t want it to be… too much.” Dean made a face. “On second thoughts, hold those horses. I think what we are doing now is more of a second date. I wouldn’t go through dinner _and_ a movie before I knew someone better than first date or blind date.”

“Why?” Castiel asked curiously.

“Well, there’s that whole thing that has something to do with the fact that people often fight about what kind of movie to watch?” Dean said, as if it was obvious. He then mentally slapped himself. Castiel probably didn’t know about that. “I mean, women often want to see chick-flicks and dudes want to watch action movies, and… I’m neither.” Dean blushed.

“What would you rather see, then?”

“Can I say ‘no comment’?” Dean asked. His face was turning even more red now, and Castiel looked at him more and more interested.

“I’d say no. This might be useful information, Dean.”

Dean sighed. “Okay, okay. I like animated movies a lot.”

“Was that so bad?”

“I guess not,” Dean answered. “It’s just… a lot of people think animated movies are mainly for children and I very much disagree with that. It’s hard to tell other people, still.”

Castiel nodded, finally understanding. “So when we are going to the movie theatre after dinner, you would like to see the animated movie that’s currently playing?”

Dean nodded, and was starting to feel a little better over his little forced confession.

“Okay,” Castiel said. “That settles it. Do you know what you want to order?”

Dean was a little thrown off by the sudden change in topic, but decided not to comment on it. He was glad that they had come off their previous topic. Even though it felt more natural to share it with Castiel, and it was decidedly easier to tell him than a random stranger, Dean felt a little embarrassed by the topic. Dean thought he could start pondering what it meant that he didn’t really care that Castiel knew, but he decided against it. Too much introspection would definitely get Castiel’s attention, and that was not what he was aiming at here.

The remainder of their not-date went over quite well, and Dean discovered (to his delight) that Castiel loved bacon cheeseburgers, and that he also had an affinity with animated movies. It made Dean happy beyond belief and it worried Dean slightly, but he stowed it away in his mind along with the other almost revelations he had during their not-date.

When they got back home again, they both fell into their respective beds quickly, not wanting to stay up too late but also tired. Dean knew that he could still go out and walk a few miles, but his brain wouldn’t be happy with him about it. He was emotionally exhausted and he just wanted to crash.

 

The next morning, Dean woke up feeling only marginally better. He’d dreamt of a mysterious man he was dating, and he’d felt so much at ease that he knew that his happily ever after was close. He didn’t want to think about his dream too long because the man was too familiar even though his features had been shrouded in the dream. Dean _knew_ him, and it made him anxious. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way, and Dean was certainly not supposed to find his happily ever after with the man who was looking for his happily ever after.

Which was exactly why he brought up the subject of the dates during breakfast with Castiel. He didn’t want to think about it, but at the same time it was the best way to take his mind of _other things_ and he needed the distraction.

“When are we going to pick the next person for a date?” Dean asked tentatively, his eyes focused on his plate rather than on Castiel.

“When do you want to do that?” Castiel replied. He looked a little surprised, but Dean ignored that.

“I thought maybe today would be a good day? We could schedule the next one in a week or so, and maybe pick a few more to set them all up?” Dean felt reluctant even thinking about it but he needed to go out and find someone who would be a good match for him. Castiel looked over to him as if he sensed Dean’s reluctance, and sighed.

“Okay, I’ll get the photographs, then.” Castiel stood up and walked away. Dean felt chastised even though he hadn’t done anything wrong. He took a deep breath and concentrated on just eating his breakfast and trying to enjoy that.

Castiel returned quickly with a binder under his arm, and he sat down again in his chair. He opened up the binder, and removed three pictures from their protective sheets. Castiel placed them in front of Dean, and tapped them while introducing them one by one.

“The redhead is Abaddon. I’m not sure if she’s a good match, she seems a bit… dominating. Like Meg, I suppose. The blonde one in the middle is Jo. I think that she would be closest to your own temper, and she’s… like Lisa? I don’t know who to compare her to, really.” Castiel shook his head. “You might be a really good match. And the last one, the woman with the dirty blonde hair is Bela. She’s… different, I suppose. She has a temper and doesn’t let anyone walk over her.”

Dean looked the pictures over. He didn’t want a repeat of any of the previous dates, and he _really_ didn’t like Meg and her personality, and… Abaddon? Abaddon just put him off already. Just her picture was enough to not want to date her. “Not Abaddon,” Dean spoke out slowly. “I… don’t know about Bela. She’s aesthetically pleasing, I suppose. That’s about the best I can say about her.”

Castiel snorted. “Yes, when I met her, I wasn’t really impressed. She might have befitted you in a different time, when you still… when you were still considering yourself nobility. She was impressed by how you looked, though, and you looked like you were rich in that picture. I think she – and Abaddon – were both looking for a man with wealth to bust them out of itchy situations.” Castiel took a few minutes to compose himself again, and Dean remained silent. “What about Jo, then?”

“I’ll go on a date with her,” Dean decided. She didn’t fit his type, exactly, not anymore. Before all of this, Dean would have crushed hard on her: blonde, cute look, open eyes and a great body (and looking like they could kill him at the same time). Now, though, he didn’t even know if he was so very much interested in women anymore. His type had at least shifted to intense eyes (preferably blue) and dark hair (not even black just dark). Dean sighed, and then looked up at Castiel, who was looking at him with narrowed eyes.

“What’s on your mind, Dean?” Castiel asked. “You have been spacing out an awful lot lately.”

“I’m… considering,” Dean said. Castiel just blinked at him and Dean knew he had to expand. “Dating men instead of women.”

“Oh,” Castiel said. “So your focus has shifted?”

“Kind of?” Dean answered uneasily. “I mean, so far, none of the dates with women have gone over particularly well, so I might as well try it out, right?”

Castiel tilted his head in agreement and just picked out two other pictures out of the binder. “I haven’t really considered that many men, because I didn’t know your preferences but you seemed to lean towards women.” He turned the pictures towards Dean, and introduced the men as well. “The left one with the slight beard is Benny, and the right one, the younger one with the beard, is Aaron.”

“Both,” Dean said. He didn’t have to look at them for too long to see that he would love to meet them both. Maybe not to get into a relationship with them, but just to meet them. Who knew what was going to be the outcome of it? Definitely not Dean, but that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t try. Castiel smiled approvingly and that made Dean smile.

“Do you have a preference for when you want the date to be?” Castiel asked, all business again. “And what do you want to do?”

“No preference. I think a coffee date for all three of them?”

“I’ll do that.” Castiel’s smile returned fleetingly and then disappeared again. “You can go out and enjoy the beautiful weather. Take Impala for a ride and I’ll make sure that you’ll have three dates all planned out when you return, okay?”

Dean nodded. “Thanks, Castiel.”


	12. … are trying to set me up (pt 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More dates... or are they dates?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy Jo :)

**Fairy Tales…**

_… are trying to set me up (pt 3)_

 

Dean’s first planned date was with Jo. She wanted to meet him right away, and Dean was kind of confused over why, especially because she refused to tell him. They hit it off right away, though, but more in a brother-sister kind of way then an actual date kind of thing. She mentioned her love for horses, and the fact that she was used to living “in a cottage while serving for other people”, and that was when Dean got it. When he saw Jo’s picture, he recognised her vaguely – so vaguely, in fact, that he didn’t notice the setting of the picture.

“Joanna?” Dean said, disbelief colouring his voice. “Joanna Harvelle?”

“The one and only,” Jo replied. “Though, you should know that I’m now going by Jo instead. Mom’s the only one who still uses this outdated full name.”

Dean is completely silent after. Jo’s mom, Ellen, had cared for him and Sam when Mary hadn’t been able to, even though she ran an entire bar on her own on the side. When Dean had grown older, though, Ellen had kind of disappeared from their lives. Dean didn’t know exactly how and why, but it might have had something to do with her husband Bill. Now that Dean didn’t live in the palace anymore, he was not in the loop and thus had no idea about how Jo grew up to be the fine woman she apparently now was. Jo was younger than he was, but not by much (maybe five years? Dean didn’t even know), and Dean was absolutely certain that he didn’t want to date her either.

“How is Ellen doing?” Dean asked, finally.

“She’s managing,” Jo shrugged. “I mean, she is still running the bar, though I’m kind of training to take over now, and I’m looking forward to that, really.”

“Bill?”

Her face fell. “Dad died a couple of years back. You were still home, and that was when mom dropped off the grid for you. She was too busy trying to raise me and handle the bar. Your mom didn’t pay mine anything to babysit you and your gargantuan brother, and after dad’s death we couldn’t afford to lose time trying to teach you stuff while the bar was… just closed.”

“I’m sorry, Jo,” Dean said. “I didn’t even know that your dad had died, you were right in that. Ellen is doing fine now, though? Or did you mean that she is barely hanging on?”

“We’re doing okay.” Jo sighed. “Look, Dean. Sam is being a better provider for us, he has taken us under his wings, and as much as I’d like to say that we’d manage without his support, I’m afraid that that’s just not true. So, no. Without Sam, we wouldn’t be able to keep the business running, and we definitely wouldn’t be able to feed ourselves anymore.”

“Does… does Sam know you are here?” Dean was actually anxious for the answer. He didn’t know what he would prefer, just knew that he needed to _know_.

“No,” Jo answered, voice quiet. “When Castiel approached me and we actually started talking, I decided to not tell him that I already knew you. When he showed me a picture of you, I was sure it was you, but… before I was going to tell Sam, I had to be _absolutely_ sure that it was you, you know. Although Sam already knew that you were alive and well. He just didn’t know where you were.”

“And he doesn’t need to know where I am now,” Dean quickly interjected. “I’m… kind of getting my feet back under me again, and it will take some time. If… if you decide to tell him about us meeting, would you please tell him that I will write him somewhere next week? I’m not even living close to this café. Castiel picked it because it was nice and apparently one of his favourites, but I don’t even know where exactly I am right now. He picks me up today, and then he’ll bring me back home.” He saw the look on Jo’s face and held up one finger. “And before you ask, I don’t exactly know where _home_ is either. I stumbled across it and it has been one of the best things in my life so far. Even Impala enjoys it very much.”

Jo looked at him with a strange twinkle in her eyes, but Dean decided to ignore that. He knew what she might insinuate – Jo was one of the few people he told about him maybe liking men as well as women, and she had always taken it as an excuse to try and set him up with men.

“Sooooo… this whole feeling at home thing does not have anything to do with a certain dark-haired and blue-eyed man, by any chance?”

“Jo.”

She just laughed, and took another sip of her coffee. “Dude, we should really meet up again. You should ask Castiel if he could disclose your location, and then I can come visit you and gossip about all the pretty boys.”

“ _Jo_ ,” Dean groaned. “I already got Lisa and Ben coming by every other week, I don’t know if Castiel wants everyone to just stampede around in his home, okay?” His eyes softened. “But I’ll ask him. I missed having someone to bother apart from him, and I am definitely sometimes feeling cooped up a bit. I’d love to talk to you more about Ellen and the bar and maybe about Sam and Jess as well. I miss them. I miss _you_.”

Jo smiled. “I think we can do that. If you send Sam that letter as soon as possible, I’ll contact you from there. Or we could ask Castiel to intervene. He found me the first and second time, so finding me a third time shouldn’t be that much of a problem, right?”

Dean returned her smile. “Yeah, I think that would be doable. So, any pretty boys in your life, then?”

They managed to fill the rest of the afternoon just talking about small things, and Dean found that he had just regained one of his childhood friends with this whole dating idea. Dean told Jo that, and when he asked her, mockingly, if she’d like to date him, she actually slapped him in the face. Dean just looked hurt (and _God_ , she slapped _hard_ ), and then burst out laughing, even though it hurt his cheek to do so.

“I was joking,” Dean said.

“I know,” Jo answered. “Couldn’t resist leaving you with a parting gift, though.” She actually laughed at him, too, and gathered up her coat and bag. “I guess I’ll be seeing you or Castiel or one of your letters around, then? Don’t wait too long to try and contact us, okay?”

Dean nodded. “I will do that soon. I’ll talk to Castiel in a few hours, maybe he’ll be stalking you in the Roadhouse later on, then, to talk to you about possible visiting hours and such.”

That startled another laugh from Jo, and she hugged him. “I missed you, you asshole.”

Dean returned the hug. “Missed you too, tiny. I’m looking forward to seeing you more often.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are very welcome (always)!  
> I'm on [tumblr](https://fpwoper.tumblr.com)


	13. ... are trying to set me up (pt 4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're nearing the end! I'm guessing that there'll be three more chapters, and I'm hoping that I'll be able to wrap this up tomorrow :)

**Fairy Tales…**

… _are trying to set me up (pt 4)_

 

Dean had settled easily into a new routine at Castiel’s house. He is settling in and he feels at home when he is there. They agreed that Dean would take over the cooking duties as he was starting to feel too much like a guest for the amount of time he spent living at Castiel’s house, and Castiel had finally decided to spend more time at home with Dean. Dean still didn’t know where Castiel would disappear to when he wasn’t there, but now, they spent their time reading in the library or working in the garden, or baking. Dean was happy again, and especially after the date that turned out to be less of a date with Jo and Castiel’s easy acceptance of her in Dean’s life. The conversation between Castiel and Dean about Jo had lasted about five seconds, because as soon as Dean mentioned the fact that Jo was basically family and was still living near the palace, Castiel agreed with whatever Dean was proposing.

Now, though, their easy routine was disturbed because Dean had another date. He’d doubted for quite some time whether he would go on his date with Benny or with Aaron first, but in the end the two men had sorted it out amongst themselves because both of them had schedules. Aaron was available Monday and Wednesday and Benny on Saturdays and Sundays, and thus Aaron was ‘scheduled’ first.

Dean sighed. He’d liked Aaron’s picture, and he knew there was a definite probability of them liking each other, but he was slowly growing more and more sure that it was just not cutting it for him anymore. All those dates, and all of the time Castiel put into trying to find someone who fit Dean’s profile of quiet person who’d give Dean time for himself and would also be able to look past the fact that he used to be royalty… Dean just didn’t want to put any more people through all of it. He knew the people he took out on a first date all didn’t know that it was some kind of setup for a happily ever after. So far, he’d only gotten new friends out of the ‘dates’, and Dean was tired. He just had to tough it out for two more dates, though, and then he would be able to leave this whole thing behind and maybe settle down with Castiel in his home to just be two eligible bachelors who preferred to be alone.

Dean shook himself from unfolding that fantasy and focused on the here and now. Instead of waiting outside for Aaron, Dean had opted to find a table in the café and order himself a coffee. He’d double checked with Castiel that Aaron knew who to look for, and just gave up on it all. He was slowly sipping his coffee and trying to enjoy it when Aaron entered the café. Dean managed a little wave which the man quickly returned before getting in line to get his own drink. Dean relaxed back into his seat, and thought about Aaron’s age. He looked pretty young still, maybe even five years younger than he was. He didn’t necessarily care about that, but he knew that he was still trying to make excuses to make it not work out with Aaron. He blew out a breath and watched the man approach.

“Hey Aaron,” Dean said when he was finally seated.

“Hey Dean!” Aaron replied. He sounded happy and Dean sighed inwardly again.

“So… What did you get?” Dean asked. It was an awkward start, but it managed to build up to something, in the end. Dean felt that under different circumstances, this might bloom into something more, but now… Dean was very much questioning his own interest in Castiel, and he felt guilty for having Aaron come over and steal all of his free time to go on a first date with someone who would never commit to him. Aaron did pick up on Dean’s guilt, but attributed it to something else, probably. They didn’t talk about it, but when they parted, it was amicably and without the promise of a second date. Dean felt clumsy, though, and Aaron had to steady him after bumping into a table. At least Aaron’s last memory of Dean would be one he could laugh about.

 

When Dean returned home, it was to a waiting and eager Castiel. When Castiel saw Dean’s expression, though, he immediately rushed over to him for entirely different reasons.

“Are you okay, Dean?” Castiel asked, worrying already. “Did Aaron do something…?”

“No, no, Cas,” Dean was quick to answer. “No, it’s just…” Dean pulled a hand through his hair, spiking it even more. “I’m just not seeing the point of these dates anymore. I feel like I can’t connect to them properly, and even though I _want_ to date them, I can’t get myself to go through with it and invite them for a second date. Today was even worse.”

“Why?”

“Why what, Castiel?” Dean asked, laughing bitterly. “Why can’t I get myself to ask them on a second date? Why can’t I connect? Why was today worse than any of the other dates?”

“All three, I suppose,” Castiel said. He led Dean to the couch and settled them comfortably before spurring him on. “Please tell me. I might be able to help, and if it’s really something that is very much bothering you, we should be able to fix it, okay?”

“I don’t think you can fix this, Castiel.”

“I can try.”

“I don’t think you can, still. I can’t answer any of those questions, except for why today was worse. I mean… I don’t _know_ why the other stuff keeps happening, but it’s just… not there. There’s nothing between any of the dates, except for possible friendship and… it just feels so bad. And today, with Aaron, it was even worse. He is such a promising young man and I just wish that I could do more for him, give him a stable future, and take care of him, but none of that would be coming from dating me. It just _hurts_ , Castiel. It hurts to want to care for someone but realise that you are actually just taking up more of their time.”

“You were not taking up any of his time,” Castiel said, voice soft. “He _wanted_ to meet you, Dean. He was basically adamant, even more so than Jo was, really.”

“Still,” Dean persisted. “I _felt_ like I was wasting his time and my time by talking to him about stuff, and we didn’t even… I mean, I made friends with Lisa, and I got back into touch with Jo, and that all came from this stupid dating idea. Meg and I would never have been a thing for long, especially if I brought her over here. Aaron… I don’t see him fitting in at all. He might have fit all the criteria, but we didn’t click beyond maybe being partners to go out or something, being each other’s wingmen in gay bars. That was about it.” Dean took a deep breath. “I mean, that is why it feels like I’ve wasted an entire afternoon just sitting with someone who might as well have been on a date with someone a bit more invested. He might have been on a date with someone who _wants_ to build a future with him. He’s too young for me, Castiel. He…” Dean trailed off and backtracked, realising he had just given the most stupid reason for rejecting Aaron. “He’s not too young, of course, but… something felt off between the two of us and it might have been his age or what he looked like and even though he helped me as well when I was being a klutz, I still… we didn’t click, and I wasted his entire afternoon in which he could have been relaxing instead.”

Castiel had been listening quietly up until now, and was seemingly speechless. Dean saw several emotions flit over Castiel’s face but couldn’t identify them, and he just decided to look at the folded hands in his lap instead. Castiel was too painful right now. He was only doing his job, and now that Dean had confessed to not really liking any of the dates Castiel had set up for him, and feeling like a waste of both time _and_ space, he could only imagine what Castiel felt like. Probably insulted, maybe very tired, just like Dean. Dean just didn’t want to confront it right away, though.

“Maybe we should rethink the dates, Dean,” Castiel quietly said after a few more uncomfortable silent minutes. Before Dean could object, Castiel went on. “I mean, it is rather clear that you apparently do not enjoy the methods I have employed. Maybe we should blow off the date with Benny, and just have you do whatever it is you normally do to pick up a date. That might be better for you and for me, as I am growing tired of trying to find dates that fit your ever changing requirements, Dean.”

Dean did not expect the furious undertones in Castiel’s voice, and he recoiled slightly when he looked up to Castiel and saw the carefully blank look on his face. Dean swallowed, and looked away again.

“I don’t know what to do, Castiel,” Dean confessed in a whisper. “I just… I think we should go through with Benny’s date. I want to see him, maybe talk to him before. I don’t know if I want to talk to him as a potential partner or as a potential friend, but I don’t want to pass up the opportunity to just… talk.” Dean breathed in slowly, and let the air escape from his lips quickly after. “Normally… Normally I pick up people from bars or clubs and then go with it, but those never lead to a second date. It’s always just a one night stand, no strings attached, and the next morning we part ways and never see each other again.”

“Which is not what you are looking for,” Castiel surmised, and Dean just nodded. Castiel scooted closer on the couch and enveloped Dean in a hug. “We’ll sort it out, Dean. It will be okay, and I know I have said this before, but I will find your happily ever after. I don’t care if it’s the last thing I do in my life. I just want to see you happy.”

Dean felt comforted by those words because he knew Castiel meant them, and settled down in the embrace. He rested his head on Castiel’s shoulder and inhaled the clean scent of his fairy godfather. He smelled like forest and rain, and it was exactly what Dean needed at that moment. He wanted quiet and peace but also comfort, and Castiel was providing exactly that – and Dean felt at home.


	14. … are trying to set me up (pt 5)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The date with Benny doesn't go as expected...

**Fairy Tales…**

_… are trying to set me up (pt 5)_

 

Dean didn’t know how to feel about his impending date with Benny. He and Castiel had talked, at least, about what Dean expected from this all. They weren’t on very different pages, but their views were still a little different. Weirdly enough, the hug had solidified Dean’s feelings but had also made it exceedingly clear that Castiel definitely didn’t feel the same. It was painful, definitely, but Dean thought that he just needed to settle into that reality. The date with Benny would probably help him out, anyway. He thought that out of all those dates, the one with Benny was the most promising. He disregarded that he thought exactly the same thing about Lisa and maybe Jo and Aaron, and that those were not exactly the way Dean had thought they would be.

When the day of the date finally rolled around, Dean was a nervous wreck, and Castiel picked up on that quite easily. He didn’t say anything, but just offered a hug before leaving Dean in front of the café. Dean fell into it easily, and sighed when Castiel let him go and disappeared. It was time to face the music.

Dean had spotted Benny immediately when he entered the café, and waved before getting his coffee and making his way over to the table the large man was sitting at.

“Hi,” Dean said when he settled down into the chair.  
“Hello,” Benny replied with a slight drawl in his tone. “So, feeling up to a date?”

Dean snorted at the weird opening. “Oh, man, am I ready. Are we going to do something else than just sitting here and talk, then?”

“I was planning on getting you with me on a fishing trip I was bound to make anyway.”

“Oh,” Dean said. He was shocked into silence, but it quickly settled and Dean just smiled broadly. “I would love to. It’s been such a long time since I last went fishing. Can’t even remember when that was, even.” Dean sighed. “So, when are we leaving?”

Benny’s laugh was loud and boisterous and Dean liked him immediately. “Eager much? I was thinking tomorrow, but you don’t have to stay with me for that.” Benny sobered up, and added, “I mean, I don’t care if this is as friends or as lovers but I’d like to take you anyway.”

“Why?” Dean asked. “You don’t even know me.”

“Yeah, and you don’t even know _me,_ and yet you accepted immediately.”

Dean huffed. “True but man… you just scream teddy bear.”

“And how would you know, Dean?” Benny’s voice was darker than it had been before and Dean shivered. This was promising. At least Benny did something for him instead of all those other dates. Dean _wanted_ to go on a second date. Hell, he wanted to sleep with this man and wake up in his arms and… he still wasn’t an adequate replacement for Castiel. Benny was exactly the kind of man Dean would have fallen for before his crush on Castiel had surfaced. It all sounded so weird now, and Dean didn’t _want_ his silence to be telling, but apparently, Benny could read minds.

“Oh,” Benny breathed, and realisation dawned. “Why are you trying to date when you are in love, Dean?”

The abrupt switch in Benny’s character threw Dean for a loop and he stumbled through his next sentence.

“I-I… What? I’m not…”

Benny took pity on him and grabbed Dean’s hand. “Trust me, Dean. I know love-struck fools when I see them, and you are even projecting it.”

“I’m not in _love_ , Benny,” Dean hissed when he found his voice back. “What makes you think that, anyway?”

“Dude, were you just paying attention? You are projecting like hell, and you look like you don’t want to be here at all. I just invited you to my bed, and you didn’t blink twice until your brain started interfering. I saw your face fall. I know it’s not the fact that I’m a man – I mean, otherwise you wouldn’t even instigate dates with a man. So it has to be something or someone blocking my advances.”

Dean sighed. “I… I guess so.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Benny asked, sympathy clear in his eyes. “Do they not like you? Or did they reject you?”

“No,” Dean said, swallowing. “It’s nothing like that. I just… I don’t think he likes me back, that’s all.”

“That’s all?” Benny laughed again. “Oh, man, you are far gone. Why wouldn’t he like you back? You are gorgeous and very smart, and you know what you want. You are kind and I think you can be funny if you want to. What’s not to like?”

Dean blushed. “It’s really not like that, Benny.”

“Why are you so sure of that?”

“I just… know him.”

Benny huffed. “I don’t know if you know him all that well, though, Dean. Did you talk about the fact that you like him? Or did you just assume that he doesn’t like you back?”

“We haven’t talked about it. I don’t know what to tell him, really.”

“How about ‘I like you’? Or something like ‘I’d like to date you’?”

“I don’t think I’m ready for that, Benny,” Dean said, sadness in his eyes. “I don’t know how to break that to him, and we have…” Dean swallowed thickly and took a deep breath. “We have been on a date already, and… he didn’t get it. He didn’t get that he was a date. It hurt, Benny, and I don’t know… that just lead me to believe that he doesn’t want anything with me. He would have understood that it was a date if he liked me, right?”

“Did you tell him it was a date?”

“No,” Dean admitted quietly. “I didn’t dare to tell him.”

“What did you do on your date? Was it clearly date-y?”

“We went to have dinner and then went to see a movie. We talked a lot, but… I just didn’t talk to him about dating like that, I think.”

Benny let his breath escape slowly, and squeezed Dean’s hand. “You didn’t tell him it was a date, and even though it was a classic date… Maybe he hasn’t gone on a date before, Dean. You should think about the possibility of him never having dated before. Maybe he doesn’t know about the etiquette, and everything that is connected to it. I think you should just talk about it all, and maybe that will settle it down a lot better.”

“I don’t know how to, Benny,” Dean whispered.

“You’ll be fine. You’re smart, you’ll find a way.”

“Thanks, Benny,” Dean said, and smiled genuinely for the first time that day. Dean felt safe and comforted like he was with Castiel, but differently. Benny was already a dear friend, and Dean hadn’t even known him for that long.

“So, that fishing trip… are you still up to it?” Benny asked, continuing their conversation as if nothing had happened at all between them.

“Yeah, but just as friends, please.”

Benny laughed at that. “Sure, man,” he said. “Can I pick you up tomorrow, or are we meeting somewhere.”

Dean looked down sheepishly. “I don’t… know exactly where I live at the moment. And this sounds even worse than it actually is, but I think it’s best if we meet up somewhere and take it from there.”

“How do you feel about meeting up here? We’re close enough to the lake here to just walk there and then walk back here.”

Thankfully Benny didn’t comment on his weird comment about the house, and let it go.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then?”

“Yes, I’ll see you tomorrow.”


	15. ... have found their way into my heart

**Fairy Tales…**

_…_

When Dean arrived home this time around, he was still sad and disappointed, but it now had a side of skittishness around Castiel. Whatever he could say for Benny, and how much he’d liked him… Benny had immediately pressed through to the heart of the matter without dancing around it. Dean liked that, liked the directness of it, but it also meant that he now knew exactly what he felt for Castiel. It was probably for the best to not have realised that on his own, but that didn’t mean that Dean could be happy about it. He was mainly very confused and a little sad that things would not work out between him and Benny. In a different world, different time, maybe, yes. Dean and Benny were definitely compatible, but in this time and place, Castiel was in its way.

Dean sighed and fell into the kitchen chair. He’d spent some time with Impala before going inside again, and he almost felt like he _had_ to go back inside, as if he’d overstayed his welcome with Impala. She’d been impatient today, not on her best behaviour, and it stung Dean (who was still not feeling a hundred percent like himself, either). Now that he was inside again, he realised that he wasn’t at all feeling comfortable, not like he was used to in Castiel’s house anyway. He sighed again, and just settled down, waiting for the coffee maker to finish.

He was emotionally tired, again, and he wanted to blame Castiel, but knew he couldn’t. Castiel was never at fault, and this was all Dean’s fault, his mistake. He shouldn’t have fallen in love with Castiel, who was unattainable as his fucking _godfather_. On top of that, he was also a fairy, and Dean had never inquired if he could actually date anyone himself. He told himself that it didn’t matter, and that Castiel wouldn’t want any of that anyway, but he knew he couldn’t fool himself for too long. He knew that he and Castiel just needed to talk soon, to talk about how they felt toward each other. Even if it would be awkward. Dean needed to know, and needed to be able to put an end to it all – even if it ended badly for himself and his feelings. He’d just have to deal with it.

“Are you okay, Dean?”

Dean sat up straight immediately at Castiel’s voice so close to him, and it was only then that he noticed that he was crying into his cup of coffee. He furiously wiped at the wetness, but it didn’t matter. Castiel had seen them already, and he couldn’t just ignore them, of course.

“Dean?” Castiel pressed when Dean didn’t answer.

“I don’t know if I can talk about it, Cas,” Dean whispered.

“Was it your date with Benny?”

“Yeah,” Dean answered. “I mean, no. He was perfect. We’re going fishing tomorrow, as friends. I… I couldn’t.”

Castiel tilted his head in confusion, and Dean almost laughed at that gesture. He was so far gone, he thought Castiel’s head tilt was _cute_.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Dean sighed. “I think I have to. Benny… Benny is an amazing guy. He’s going to be my best friend. It just… I almost asked him on a second date, Castiel.”

“Then why didn’t you?” Castiel’s eyebrows drew together in confusion, and Dean wanted to smooth the wrinkles over. He had to make a conscious effort not to touch Castiel, and that went on the list of Things Dean Winchester Will Not Be Doing Anytime Soon, too.

“I…” Telling Castiel that he didn’t know was so easy now, and it took too much out of Dean to keep saying it. “I can’t fall in love with him.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like I said. I can’t fall in love with him. He’s not… he’s not good _enough_. When I saw him, I thought he had a chance of being the one, and he was funny and serious and we had a great talk and I love to be able to actually talk to him some more, but… he’s not…” _You._ Dean didn’t say it. He didn’t feel confident enough.

“Dean?” Castiel asked, face now even closer than he was before. Dean thought, fleetingly, that if he tilted his head just right they would be kissing, and then flushed.

“Yes?”

“May I say that I don’t understand you at all?”

Dean snorted. “You just did.”

Castiel shook his head. “I know. Why… why were you crying? Was it over Benny? Or was it something else?”  
“Something else. It all ties in together, though. I’m… I’m through with the dating, though, Castiel. For real. It doesn’t work.”

Castiel looked at Dean worriedly and looked like he wanted to say something but caught himself before doing that. Dean was glad for that. Small blessings, right? If Castiel went digging now, Dean wouldn’t be able to stop himself from crying some more and then confessing to loving Castiel – who would then reject him and… Dean took a deep breath.

“I just don’t want to date anymore. I think I’m fine just being here and spending time with you and Impala and the library… maybe meeting my brother sometime again. I like it when Jo visits, or Lisa and Ben… I’d love to go on more fishing trips with Benny, too. I’ll go with him tomorrow, but I’m already looking forward to the next one. He’s grounding me, Castiel, but he doesn’t feel like someone I could spend the remainder of my life with.”

Castiel looked like Dean had hit him in the face. “What about your happily ever after?” he whispered, sadness clear in his eyes.

“I think that is my happily ever after, Cas,” Dean gently says. “Dating is obviously not for me, and I’m most at home when I’m here. I’m also happier here than I’ve ever been in the palace. This is _home_ , Cas. The palace never was home – my mom and Sam were, though. I don’t think I’ve ever belonged in the richness of it. This, however, here, this is completely different. The simplicity is grounding, and I love it.”

While Dean was speaking, Castiel started to look a little better. “Do you want to live with me, then?” Castiel asked. “For the rest of your life?”

“I guess so?” Dean said, and Castiel lit up.

“I’d love that, Dean,” Castiel whispered. “I’d absolutely love it, and I’d welcome all your friends and your family whenever you want them to be here.”

Dean was shocked at the warm reception, and looked up at Castiel’s face. “Are you… are you sure?” he asked, hope creeping back into his tone for exactly the wrong reasons. Dean hoped that Castiel tolerating him in his house would maybe mean something more than just them being good friends.

“Of course, Dean,” Castiel said, smile still on his face. Dean finally smiled back, and then hesitantly opened his arms for a hug. Castiel fell into it, and they settled firmly against the other. It felt good, and it felt like _home_ , and suddenly Dean didn’t know why they weren’t together. They were perfect together.

“Cas… can you date humans?” he asked, hope surging in his chest and riding the high of comfort and contact with the person he loved most in the world.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Castiel asked confused. “I might be a fairy, but it doesn’t mean that I can’t date non-fairies. We’ve stopped being strict about that some thousand years ago after a few fairies fell in love with the humans in their charge, and we didn’t want to break them up. They managed to find their happily ever afters with their humans, and died naturally when their mate died. It’s… not something that is frowned upon, but it isn’t exactly common either. Why do you ask?”

Dean didn’t reply, just leaned forward and kissed Castiel. He closed his eyes and withdrew after a few seconds in which Castiel didn’t do anything, and looked down towards his lap.

“I’m sorry, I–”

“Dean,” Castiel interrupted. “Don’t apologise. Is this why it didn’t work out with any of the dates?”

“Yeah,” Dean mumbled, and Castiel smiled at that answer. It threw Dean for a loop, but he figured that it was something good, especially when Castiel leaned in and kissed Dean quickly.

“Thank God,” Castiel murmured into Dean’s lips. “I’ve been wanting to do this for quite a while now.”

Dean closed the distance between them quickly and kissed Castiel again, this time deepening it. He nudged Castiel’s lips with his tongue and Castiel opened up easily. Their kiss was passionate and Dean felt like he was filled with light and happiness when they broke for air again. They looked at each other in amazement, and Dean chuckled.

“I think I love you,” he said, wonder clear in his voice.

“I can do better,” Castiel said. “I know I love you.”

The kiss they fell into next was a lot less controlled and more hot and heavy. And if they ended up on Castiel’s bed instead of in separate beds for the night, then that wasn’t anyone’s business.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's only an epilogue left, and a timestamp of sorts that will bump up the rating to Explicit.


	16. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter. The time stamp I promised will probably also be up today, but will be a separate story in the NaNo-challenges series _and_ in a series for this verse.

**Fairy Tales…**

_Epilogue_

 

One year after Dean and Castiel got together, they decided that they were ready for the next step. For them, that wasn’t marriage. They were already married in a way. When Castiel found out that he was indeed Dean’s happily ever after, he had resigned from his post, and he had to tell Oberon how and why, and because their relationship involved fairies of a sort, he insisted on marrying them the fairy way. Dean and Castiel hadn’t been together very long, but they had readily agreed. Fairy marriage wasn’t the sort of marriage humans had – no white dresses and churches and vows and family being there – but it was more than enough for Cas and Dean. They were happy, and their souls were bound together – which was more than human marriage would ever achieve.

No, now they were getting ready to finally meet Dean’s family after an absence of about two years. Dean was nervous about seeing his brother again. They had written to each other as much as they could, and Jo had kept him up to date, but neither Sam nor Dean had had time to meet up at all. Castiel was nervous for entirely different reasons, and that had to do with actually meeting the family for the first time. He had found out a lot about Sam through Gabriel, but that still didn’t mean that they actually knew each other.

While they were waiting to be admitted to the palace, Dean and Castiel found comfort in each other. They hadn’t yet told Sam that they were together, and were actually married already. Sam would definitely not take kindly to that, but they had decided to not tell him though a letter but rather in person. They could justify their marriage easier that way. Still, the nerves stuck, and by the time they were admitted to the dining room for “a private dinner with the King and Queen”, they were frayed thin.

“Hey Sam, Jess,” Dean said as soon as they entered and Dean saw his little brother being all… tall and kingly, his wife shining by his side.

“Dean!” Sam exclaimed, and ran towards him like he was still a little child. “I’ve missed you so much!”

Dean winced at the force behind the hug but accepted it. He’d missed his little brother, too. It was time to introduce his husband, though, especially when he saw the looks Sam was sending Castiel.

“So, Sam and Jess, this is Castiel, my husband. Cas, Sam and Jess, the king and his queen, or my dumbass not so little brother and his wife.”

“Your husband?” Sam spluttered. “When did you get married? Why weren’t we invited?”

Dean rolled his eyes. There they were. He looked at Castiel but he just shook his head and made the go ahead gesture. Dean sighed. “Of course _I_ have to tell them why we got married without anyone else around. It was _your_ family, dude.”

Castiel shrugged. “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean that that is the first thing I tell your family.”

“Okay, okay. So should I start them off by telling them that you’re not human, or what?”

“You did so already, Dean, so just get over with the story.”

Dean and Castiel ignored the shocked gasps behind them, and just stared at each other for a few seconds, holding a quiet conversation between the two of them. Dean sighed again, and turned back to Sam and Jess.

“So, yeah. Cas is not human. He’s – I mean, he _used to be_ – my fairy godfather. So he’s a fairy. It took us some time to work through finding my happily ever after, but in the end we, or rather, Benny, discovered that Castiel was my happily ever after, and we should just kiss already. No one said that directly, but it was implied. So, when Castiel finally agreed with the whole thing, he had to go and tell Oberon that he was quitting, because he was part of a happily ever after. Oberon agreed, but on like, one term, and that was that we were getting married in the fairy kingdom. A fairy marriage, if you will. We are not so much married as soul-bound now.”

Sam and Jess just stood there, mouths wide open and eyes bulging, and Dean hit Castiel’s forearm. “I told you that we shouldn’t have done this. I’d rather have had food before accidentally giving both of our hosts, who happen to be the king and queen, a heart attack.”

Castiel just shrugged. “I think it’s best to just get it over with, and I think it will probably provide with conversation matter over dinner. And we can avoid any weird questions because of that. Also, _you_ just introduced me as your husband. So you are entirely to blame.”

Jess was the first one to recover. “Congratulations, both of you,” she said, and beamed up at the two of them. She drew them into a quick hug, and then poked Sam in the ribs, which seemed to wake him up. “Why haven’t you congratulated them yet? They deserve it. Look at their bickering, they are worse than we are. I think that Ellen would say that they were an old married couple before she’d even hear that they are already married.”

“They know,” Dean said, blush rising on his face.

“What do you mean, they know?” Sam demanded, finally coming back.

“Well… long story short, I met Jo, and Jo and I kept in contact. Did you ever wonder why Jo disappeared and then would reappear with a letter from me? Yeah, she was visiting us. She kind of barged in on our honeymoon, too, and demanded to know why there were so many fresh white flowers in our home. We had to explain that we had gotten married by Oberon, and she was the one that decided not to tell you yet. We didn’t know if you were ready for me dating a man yet, let alone me being married to a man. But yeah, she told Ellen, and Ellen sent us food for the next two weeks because “a honeymoon is not complete if you still have to cook,” or something like that.”

Sam snorted. “Yup. That’s Ellen.” He sighed. “I just can’t believe that you just disappeared, and then suddenly letters appear and now you’re here, and you are… married. To a man. And you’re happy.”

“That’s me, Sam,” Dean said. “I mean, I basically ran away because I wasn’t happy here anymore. I wasn’t needed, and it made me feel itchy. Those were the worst weeks of my life. Impala suffered quite a lot, too. She was never injured, but I just felt bad for her. And then one day, I just stumbled across this small cottage in the middle of the woods and I was so tired and so hungry… I just decided to go in and give it a go.”

“How very Snow White, Dean,” Sam mocked.

Dean looked at Castiel, who was talking with Jess rather animatedly, and smiled softly. “Yeah. I think that fairy tales are just a part of my life now. I’m glad that I did go in, and decided to stay the night. The house… it was amazing. Bigger on the inside. Like, the outside was an actual cottage but the inside was larger than this palace. It was weird, but good. And it felt homey, even though I didn’t even know who the owner was. I felt bad, too, for crashing there.”

“You didn’t, Dean,” Castiel replied. “You were not feeling so very bad as you seem to think. You were already at home and I liked it a lot.”

Dean laughed. “Of course, husband, of course.”

Sam and Jess looked at each other and decided that they liked having Dean back, and even more so with the addition of Castiel to their family. They already knew that fairy tales could be meddling in their life in the form of fairy godparents, but at least their fairy tales all had happy endings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are very welcome. Please tell me what you think about this (also if you spot mistakes!). I'd love to hear from you!
> 
> I'm on [tumblr](https://fpwoper.tumblr.com)


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